MONTREAL ― In the season’s final stretch, Pascal Vincent’s goal for the Blue Jackets is to push hard to the finish.

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Only 17 games remain after a frustrating 3-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night at Bell Centre, but the Jackets are still pushing for their coach despite a wave of recent injuries and illnesses. What they're not doing enough lately is scoring, especially on power plays. Putting goalie Elvis Merzlikins into some tough spots on three straight goals to start the game against the Canadiens (25-30-10) didn’t help either ― particularly in his first appearance since March 2 in Chicago (four games).

“That’s why I pulled (Merzlikins) ... you want to change momentum there," Vincent said. "I don’t think it’s on Elvis, but you want to do something right away.”

Those turned out to be game’s only goals.

Brendan Gallagher scored 21 seconds after the opening puck drop, Juraj Slafkovsky made it 2-0 on a power play at 3:15 and Joshua Roy forced Merzlikins out of the net with a tip-in goal that made it 3-0 just 5:48 into the game. Merzlikins only stopped one of four shots he faced before giving way to Daniil Tarasov (19 saves) in relief.

The Blue Jackets (22-33-10) outplayed the Canadiens for the remainder of the first period and outshot them 41-23 overall, but goalie Cayden Primeau's second career shutout kept them at bay all night. Columbus also didn’t have forward Kirill Marchenko (illness) to start the game and lost forward Yegor Chinakhov (upper body) in the first period.

“We rebounded really well and played hard for the next 55 minutes of the game,” Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski said. “Their goalie played well, but any time you spot a team three goals in the first five minutes of the game, it’s going to be a hard night to win.”

Daniil Tarasov again shines for Columbus Blue Jackets, this time in relief of Elvis Merzlikins

Vincent didn’t lay an ounce of blame on Merzlikins for the early barrage of goals the Canadiens scored against him, which led to the goalie's early exit.

That’s understandable since the first was largely due to a blown coverage by the top defense pairing, the second was a power-play goal and the third was scored with a net-front tip. Still, it’s fair to wonder if Merzlikins felt sharp enough after not playing since March 2 in Chicago, when he made 26 saves in victory. After that outing, Merzlikins was removed from the Jackets’ goaltending mix for four straight games (10 days).

Merzlikins wasn't made available after the game.

Reasons given for his absences in the first two included “general body soreness,” and “bumps and bruises,” which paved the way for Tarasov to start three of the previous four games. Merzlikins handled the backup role against the Edmonton Oilers and Predators but hadn’t faced a shot in a game in nearly two weeks. Vincent said after the loss to Nashville that Merzlikins would start in Montreal and rejoin the rotation during the stretch run — assuming he can stay healthy.

After watching Tarasov shine again, though, it will be interesting to see whether Vincent opts to get Merzlikins right back into a game Thursday against the Ottawa Senators or ride the hot hand with the 6-foot-5 alternate option.

“I don’t blame Elvis whatsoever,” Vincent said. “I don’t think it’s on him. I just wanted to change momentum.”

Columbus Blue Jackets razor thin at forward after losing Kirill Marchenko and Yegor Chinakhov

It’s not exactly like last season’s nightmarish mountain of injuries and illnesses, but health issues are piling up again for the Blue Jackets heading down the final stretch.

Trading Jack Roslovic to the New York Rangers and adding forwards Kent Johnson (shoulder) and Justin Danforth (concussion) to an injury report that already included Adam Fantilli (calf laceration) and Patrik Laine (player assistance program) was taxing enough, but Kirill Marchenko (illness) didn't play in Montreal and the Jackets lost two key forwards — Yegor Chinakhov and Sean Kuraly ― during the game.

Vincent said Marchenko wasn’t “feeling right,” Monday night, so he was replaced by Cleveland Monsters forward Brendan Gaunce, who flew to Montreal on Tuesday. Chinakhov left with an undisclosed upper-body in the first period and Kuraly skated just three shifts in the third, forcing the Blue Jackets to finish the game with only 10 forwards.

Three of them were Gaunce, Carson Meyer and Trey Fix-Wolansky, who'd just played in nearby Laval, Quebec with AHL Cleveland this past weekend. Depending on the availability of Marchenko, Chinakhov and Kuraly, more Monsters could be on the way North before the Blue Jackets host the Senators on Thursday at Nationwide Arena.

“They’ve been around the team for quite some years,” Vincent said. “Guys know them, so it’s a good opportunity for those people. It’s a good chance for them to showcase themselves. The most important thing for us is they’ve earned that recall. Now, it’s time to showcase themselves.”

Columbus Blue Jackets’ power play hits another rut as coach Pascal Vincent plans summer improvements

Much of this Blue Jackets’ season, rightfully, has focused on defensive issues.

There’s also an offensive situation that also continues to vex them on a regular basis, and it’s almost of equal importance. It’s the Jackets’ lagging power play, which is back to scuffling. They went 0-for-4 on the man-advantage against Montreal and haven’t scored a power-play goal in six straight games (0-for-12). They’re also 1-for-18 (5.5%) with just one power-play goal in the past eight games.

The Blue Jackets began the game tied for eighth in the NHL in even-strength goals (161), but their 2.97 goals per game average would be significantly higher if their power play wasn’t ranked 31^st in the league.

“That’s a big piece of our game that needs improvement,” Vincent said. “We’re going to keep pushing our guys, but this summer coming up, that’s going to be a focal point in making sure that we establish something that is more productive in the future.”

For now, the goal is to find a solution before the offseason.

“It sucks,” defenseman Zach Werenski said. “Power plays and special teams can help you win games. It can also help you lose games, and I think tonight, if we get a power-play goal early in the game – end of the first period or start of the second – it’s probably a different outcome, to be honest.”

The Jackets’ success rate dropped to 13.9% after their latest 0-fer against the Canadiens. They’re ranked 31^st in NHL and can’t gain traction. If there was any good news from Montreal, it was a significant increase in possession time within the offensive zone that led to 11 shots in their four power plays.

The downside is they went 0-for-11 on them and most weren’t taken from the perimeter, making it easier for Primeau to stop them.

“Our power play hasn’t done the job well enough this year,” Werenski said. “I think the players have to take ownership in that and find a way to score some goals on it. It just helps your team win and helps everyone start to feel it a little bit more and take the pressure off 5-on-5. Our power play has to be better.”

Boone Jenner soaking up ice time for Columbus Blue Jackets

Chinakhov’s departure in the first period and Kuraly's about halfway through the third, combined with the Blue Jackets chasing a 3-0 deficit, inflated ice times amounts for multiple forwards.

None was more dramatic than captain Boone Jenner, who skated a whopping 25:48 on 27 shifts for the second-highest ice time of his NHL career. Jenner, 30, didn’t record a point and finished with three shots on eight attempts, two hits, two blocked shots and went 15 of 22 on faceoffs (68%). It was the sixth time in Jenner’s career that he topped 25 minutes in a game, the fourth without factoring in overtime and third this season.

Jenner’s average ice time through 50 games is 19:57, which ranks 29^th among NHL forwards. That’s actually down from his 20:20 the last two years combined under former coach Brad Larsen ― whose associate coach was Vincent — but those seasons ended with Jenner sidelined by back injuries. The only time he’s logged a higher ice time in one game was a mind-boggling 26:42 on 30 shifts earlier this season in the Jackets' 6-3 loss Feb. 13 in Ottawa.

That’s a huge workload, even for the Jackets’ most dependable two-way forward who has the highest faceoff percentage (54%) on the team.

Columbus Blue Jackets lose to Montreal Canadiens despite big advantage in attempted shots

Columbus won the advanced metrics battle in Montreal decidedly over the Canadiens, who won by a final score of 3-0 thanks largely to Primeau’s play in net.

The Blue Jackets attempted a whopping 98 shots against the Canadiens, which easily set their season-high amount and tied with four other teams for seventh-most in the NHL this season.

According to Natural Stat Trick, that’s the Jackets’ highest number of attempts in a game since 2007-08, the earliest season that site tracks. The previous high was 93 during a 3-2 shootout win over the Arizona Coyotes on Dec. 3, 2016, which was the third victory in a 16-game winning streak that was matched earlier this season by the Edmonton Oilers as the second-longest in NHL history.

The Jackets’ previous high for a game that ended in regulation was 91 attempts in a 6-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 14, 2018. They also had a 92-attempt game earlier this season in a 5-4 overtime win over the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 21, 2023 at Xcel Energy Center.

Columbus also had big advantages in scoring chances (46-20) and high-danger chances (19-11).

bhedger@dispatch.com

@BrianHedger

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Primeau's primo shutout leads Canadiens past Blue Jackets: 5 takeaways